


Tardiness

by FlameWolf



Series: Crooked Hearts [1]
Category: Batman (Movies - Nolan), Batman (The Dark Knight)
Genre: Angst, Biting, Bloodplay, F/M, Knifeplay, Possessive Behavior, Rough Sex
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-22
Updated: 2017-07-22
Packaged: 2018-12-05 15:24:26
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 13,241
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11580831
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FlameWolf/pseuds/FlameWolf
Summary: Alicia met Joker by chance, soon forging an unlikely alliance with the villain.  Not that he gives her much choice in the matter.  As their relationship progresses, she learns something very important.  Joker really doesn't like it when she's late, especially since he seems to have laid a claim on her.





	Tardiness

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters from Batman. All characters and respective versions (c) their creators. This is just for fun and no profit will be made from this.
> 
> Author’s Note: Joker really doesn’t like it when you’re late, especially if you’re his girlfriend.... Joker is a bit needy here but in a way I feel fits his character. Please don’t take this too seriously. This is mostly meant to be a bit of smutty fun.

    Panting, a lone figure runs through the unforgiving rain; shoes gritting loudly on the concrete as they made a sharp turn into a tight alleyway.  Pale blue eyes shifted from side to side, searching for a door while footsteps pounded up behind them.  Hissing a choked curse, the hounded woman brushed a soaked lock of her brunette hair behind her ear as she bolted toward the only door she could see; the rest of the alley nothing but a dead end.  Whispering pleas to a God that clearly wasn’t listening, the unfortunate woman clasped the cold, metal handle of the door; barely able to restrain her cry of jubilation when it swung open easily.  Swinging a quick glance behind her and seeing shadows, she slipped inside; immediately wishing she chosen literally anywhere else to hide from the men chasing her.

    As a lawyer, stumbling across the Clown Prince of Crime loading what looked like explosives into the back of a school bus was the last thing you wanted.  At least if you wanted a long, productive life.  Still, she couldn’t just go back outside; especially given she could hear the footsteps from earlier closing in.  All she could really do was move away from the door and alert the busy looking criminals to her presence.  At least then, she may make it through this with some of her skin intact.  “Uh, hey!  Just so you know, we’re about to have company in the next few seconds!” she called out, running toward the group that could very well be her salvation.

    The green haired ringleader jolted in place, tilting his head as he turned to look at her; as if unsure if he’d really heard her.  Hopping off the roof of the bus with a grunt, the purple clad crime boss blinked as he motioned to the men behind him.  Men that had been raising their weapons to turn her into a greasy stain on the floor.  Feeling a bit of hope, Alicia flinched when she heard the door she had come through bang open.  “You fuckin’ slu...  Oh, shit,” growled the voice of the drug dealer she had accidentally stumbled across on her way home, starting out angry and trailing off to terror.  The man known only has ‘Joker’ let out a bone-chilling laugh, charging forward with his men close behind.

    Squeaking, the young woman wove her way between the press of goons before diving into the open rear of the yellow bus.  It was a good thing too, because her misguided pursuants decided they were going to return fire.  Bullets zinged off the metal of the vehicle she was hiding in, making her shake as she bit her lower lip to keep her cries of terror inside.  The smell of gunsmoke, burning metal and blood filled her nose, the noise eventually tapering off as an insane laugh echoed off the high walls.

    Shuddering, she peeked around the frame of the rear door to the bus; feeling vaguely sick to her stomach as she took in the shattered bodies of the men who’d been chasing her.  Bullets had torn apart their bodies, blood puddling around the four men she hadn’t even known existed before today.  All she’d wanted to do was walk home, an innocent enough wish.  Unfortunately, in Gotham, that was all that was really needed to get a person in deep trouble.  She’d been minding her own business when she’d heard voices.  Naturally, being curious, she had turned her head toward them without even thinking about it.  That was when she’d seen the drug deal going down and all her problems had started.

    As one of Gotham’s leading prosecution attorneys, she had a fairly large target on her back.  So it was really no surprise to her that they’d recognized her and had dropped everything to chase her down.  Yet, where she was just facing a quick death before, she now found herself in a much more dangerous predicament.  While she was still fairly new to the city, having only been here for three years, she knew all about Joker and just what he was capable of.  The man had quite a record and the paperwork to go with it.  She’d been forced to read his entire dossier on her first day and could still remember being vaguely impressed at the height of the stack that had wound up on her desk.

    The man was wildly unpredictable, seeming to do things on a whim rather than follow any sort of logic.  He made it his goal to bring chaos and terror, bringing both the police force and the Batman to their wit’s end.  He was also well-known for manipulating women, the former psychologist that was currently locked up in Blackgate being a prime example of just what he could do.  Even now, she found herself slightly enchanted as well as terrified while her eyes took in his blood coated figure.  His head was tipped backward as he unleashed gales of skin chilling cackles, neon green hair dangling toward the floor as his head turned slowly to face her.

    Ruby lips pulled into a grin that was nowhere near sane, the scars stretching from the corners of his mouth to his ears only making the expression more horrifying as he lifted a purple gloved hand and motioned for her to come to him.  Jolting as she slid out of her hiding place, the unfortunate lawyer found herself reflecting on the fact that all of this was happening because she’d wanted to get some exercise as well as save some money.  Taking a deep breath as her heart pounded against her ribs, she walked toward her savior/possible murderer; the suit she wore swishing quietly as she moved.

    As much as she wanted to bolt for the door or fall to her knees to beg for her life, Alicia knew neither would do her any good.  The best she could do was accept whatever fate the madman had in mind for her with dignity.  Still, that didn’t mean she wasn’t scared out of her mind as she slowly closed the distance between her and the tux clad super villain.  With the black around his eyes, the white facepaint, the blood red lips and the curly, lime green hair; he cut quite an intimidating figure.  The healed gashes on his face also didn’t help, the deep grooves decorated like his lips and giving the illusion of an unnaturally wide smile.  “So, uh, wanna tell me just why I killed some of my best partners for a girl I don’t know?” purred his raspy mid-tone as his head tilted upright slowly, his gazing staying locked on hers while his body turned to face her.

    “Uh, er, I really don’t know,” gasped out of her as she stopped a few feet in front of him, standing in one of the few places that didn’t have blood on it.

    “Hmmm... neither do I.  Woulda made more sense just to, uh, kill you instead,” he sighed, a blade in his hand before she noticed it; his goons simply heading back to the bus while the pair had a strange stand-off.

    “Shoulda killed ya as soon as you, uh, got in the door really.  Why didn’t I?” he pondered, tapping his chin with the tiny blade as he began to circle around the exhausted and frankly fed up brunette.

    “Like I said, I don’t know.  If you don’t know the reason yourself, how can you expect _me_ to?!  All I know is I was just trying to get a good walk in when I accidentally came across those guys and they chased me,” she spat, clapping her hands over her mouth with a gasp as soon as the words had come out.

    _‘Great genius, he’s going to kill you for sure now.  He was probably going to let you go until you decided to mouth off,’_ her brain provided helpfully as the ‘Clown’ stopped in place to stare at her, the sound of heavy things being thrown around coming from the background as he seemed to consider what to do with her.

    Suddenly, his shoulders were shaking; more of his infamous laughter coming out of him as the throwing knife disappeared into a sleeve so he could hold his stomach.  “Hee hee hee, yer fuckin’ brave; gotta give ya that.  Knew there had to be _some_ reason.  Why were they chasin’ ya anyway?  Ya see something you, uh, shouldn’t?” came an amused response as he came to stand by her left side, a long arm wrapping behind her shoulders as he began to walk her back towards the bus as well as the goons loading it up.

    “That and I’m a pretty high profile prosecution lawyer.  Kinda surprised you didn’t recognize me right away,” she sighed, knowing it was useless to try to cover up anything now.  She’d literally hopped out of the frying pan and into the fire but at least she was still alive, for the time being.

    “Yanno, I _thought_ I had seen you somewhere.  Somehow, I doubt I have ta worry ‘bout ya spreadin’ around what I’m, uh, doin’,” chuckled her crazed companion, his leather covered right hand patting on the corresponding shoulder as he smirked down at her.

    Alicia simply let out a bitter, slightly hysterical laugh, feeling some of her sanity slip as she began to picture what horrible atrocity these people were going to commit with this bomb filled bus.  Each scenario more twisted than the last.  “I’m only a lawyer, not a police officer.  Until the case crosses my desk I have no obligation to do anything about it, especially if it means risking my life,” she assured, feeling a bit sick knowing that she meant every word.  This monster could very well be planning to blow up a school and she honestly wouldn’t do anything to alert the cops.  After living so long in Gotham, she had learned how to pick her battles.

    “How very cynical for a person that’s supposed to, uh, help uphold law and order.  Bet you haven’t always felt like that.  Bet you used to be fairly righteous when you first came here,” husked in her ear, the faint smell of gunpowder, plastic explosive and something pleasantly musky filling her nose.

    Then he was releasing her, prowling to the front to watch his men pack the rest of the suspicious, lumpy packages.  “You’re not wrong.  Law school teaches you a bunch of pretty lies about how you can change the world if you just do what’s right.  If you stick to that, you’ll wind up dead or homeless.  The best way to really get ahead is to keep your mouth shut until it becomes your problem,” the prosecutor admitted, sounding sad as well as resigned.  She could remember her first days, she’d been full of an optimism that everyone in the office had envied her for.  It hadn’t been long before all of that was basically beaten out of her by all the horrors she had witnessed.

    “At least you confessed to the truth of it.  This world is nothing but a stinking cesspool, full of little balls of shit completely unaware of their real nature.  I’m just here to remind them is all, to give a touch excitement to their dull, little lives,” husked the madman, his eyes glittering with an almost childlike excitement while his goons shut the back doors of the hulking mode of transport.  Then they were heading deeper into a part of the building that she couldn’t see due to there only being one light, the metal lamp that was focused on the jauntily colored death missile.

    Shaking her head, Alicia just wanted to leave so she could get home and begin the process of wiping her memory of this incident.  Unfortunately, this was not to be; the men coming back with a trussed up bus driver thrown over the shoulder of the lead man.  “Ah, good!  Things can get rollin’ now.  Would ya mind waitin’ here while we take care of some business sweetheart?” came a request that made her bones ache with weariness.  Doing anything this man wanted was not what she called a good idea.  Yet, she knew she didn’t really have much of a choice.

    “Yeah, sure...  Not like I had anything planned for this evening,” grumbled out of her as she felt the weight of the world settle on her shoulders.  All she got was an unsettling grin before he was bowing as heading toward the packed bus.

    “Great!  Shouldn’t be too long,” sing-songed his pleasantly gruff, nasally voice as he opened the door in the back to hop in.

    The oddest thing was, she did end up waiting.  As soon as the vehicle left, she was exploring; ignoring the faint niggle of guilt she felt for not calling in the suspected attack.  Even if she had a phone on her, she had no idea where they were going or what they were doing beyond driving around a bus full of enough pyrotechnics to blow up a city block.  It would not only be useless, but it would also make her an enemy in the eyes of a very dangerous man.  Yet, none of that made that small whisper in the back of her head go away.

    Sighing, she shined the strange lamp in her hands around the gloom; a bit stunned to see some actual living accommodations.  There were some couches, a few chairs, a pool table and a fridge.  All in all, it looked fairly comfortable for being in a warehouse.  Laying the metallic disc behind the open bulb of the lamp on the concrete, she grabbed one of the folding chairs and dragged it to where the bus had been parked.  Not only would it be the easiest place for him to see her but it had been where he’d last left her.

    With him being a wanted criminal, it was in her best interest to not make it seem like she’d been snooping around.  After all, she hadn’t been lying when she said it wasn’t her job to do any investigation.  She’d tried that once but had learned a very hard lesson for her efforts.  She had been very lucky to get out alive, only her own skill saving her in the end.  No Batman had shown up for her then and it hadn’t been the caped crusader who had saved her now.  It had been a psychotic madman, a guy who had a reputation of hounding his prey until he had what he wanted.

    It was just her luck really.  She’d never really had things easy or normal, not even when she been a kid.  In fact, her birth parents had been very well known criminals in their own right.  They had robbed banks while raising her with all the love any child could ever want.  This made it all the more devastating when they were gunned down mercilessly in front of her eyes.  She’d been so young, the people who took her into their care thought she wouldn’t remember; being only eight at the time.  For a long time, she could pretend she didn’t.  Then the nightmares started, not stopping until she’d made the decision to become a lawyer.

    Though, it was honestly a bit ironic that she had chosen to become a prosecutor.  Plopping down in the barely padded, metal chair with a sigh, Alicia stared at the dark ceiling as she waited.   _‘You know, doing this is truly idiotic.  This is your chance to run!  Its not like he knows your name.  You could finally get the fuck out of Gotham, something you’ve been wanting for months now,’_ supplied her subconscious, the advice not at all helpful.  Even if she did manage to escape the city without drawing attention to herself, she had nowhere else to really go.  She’d built roots here, had made a strong business for herself.  To have to start from scratch would be catastrophic.

    Cursing her rotten luck as well as the situation she now found herself in, the young woman felt the tiredness of the day beginning to creep in.  Even with the amount of danger she now found herself in, Alicia was falling asleep.  Not only had she been chased for quite a long time but she’d also had a full day of cases.  To say she was exhausted wouldn’t quite cover what she was feeling.  Hoping Joker wouldn’t kill her for simply passing out, she laid her spent body on the dusty floor; sneezing softly as her eyes slipped closed.  Within moments, she was slipping into a deep sleep.

    That job couldn’t have gone any better, taking out all the schools and completely flustering a certain bat themed hero.  Thoroughly pleased with himself, he leaned back in the passenger seat while a man only known as ‘Bob’ drove; smiling as he thought back to the woman who had barged in on them.  She was an interesting one alright and he wondered what the chances were that she had stayed.  If she were smart, she’d have run while she could.  Yet, some part of him hoped she had kept her word.  He found her interesting and wanted to get inside her head a bit.

    Besides, he was in need of a new companion.  What with his last one being locked up in a high security penitentiary due to how hard he’d broken her.  Just thinking about it made him want to laugh, his mind providing the image of her in her cell; likely going crazy from the separation.  He had built her to be dependant so he would have no worry of her switching sides on him.  Yet, he had a feeling there was no need with this one; a strange prospect indeed.  It would unusual for him to be around someone without actively trying to manipulate them.  Still, he looked forward to it.

    As the van they rode in parked in an alley, Joker hopped out of the car while whistling merrily; in a fairly good mood despite knowing the bird had likely flown away by now.  “Great job boys.  Take the night off and go loot a store.  Treat yourselves but don’t draw too much heat.  Gotta get a bit more use outta this place,” he ordered, swinging open the door to his hideout while his men cheered.  Then they were dispersing, taking the hint he wanted to be alone.  All except Bob, the loyal man staying where he was.

    “You sure ya don’t need me boss?” he rasped, his thick shades hiding his eyes and his long, stringy, blonde hair helping to hide his stubble coated face.

    “Go ahead.  You deserve it just as much as they do,” the crime boss assured before heading inside, locking the door behind him.  If they needed a place to stay, that was their problem.

    As he turned to make his way into the room, he found himself glad he’d made the decision he had.  Sprawled out on the floor and dead to the world was the lawyer.  Delighted as well as bit confused, Joker walked toward the prone female; picking her up easily in his arms.  As she nestled into him out of instinct, he walked over to the living area; setting her on a rat bitten couch before turning on a beaten up, standing lamp.  Able to see better, he allowed himself to take in the woman that had fallen into his lap.

    While she wasn’t a supermodel, she certainly wasn’t bad to look at.  She had smooth, pale skin and a heart shaped face that was framed by curly, chocolate colored hair.  Her figure wasn’t bad either, somewhere between average weight and pleasantly plump.  All in all, he could see her working well on his arm.  As it was now, it was time for him to wake her up to let her know he’d come back as well as ask her a few questions.  After all, there could be advantages to having a prosecution attorney in his pocket.

    She was laying in an open field, just enjoying the sun and fresh air.  There was no Gotham, no dangerous job and no crazed jester that seemed to be taking an interest in her.  Suddenly, she felt a shaking sensation; blurring the peaceful atmosphere as the air around her began to to turn black.  Groaning, Alicia opened her eyes slowly as she felt her consciousness rise up through what felt like molasses.  “Wakey, wakey doll.  Time for a little Q & A,” cooed a voice that made her hackles stand on end, snapping her to alertness in an instant.  Inhaling deeply as she took in the blurred figure leaning over her, she backed away as best she could in the confined space she now found herself in.

    Blinking to clear her vision, she twisted her head to see a couch under her back; answering the question of what was blocking her escape.  Returning her focus to the figure over her, she only felt more intimidated to see a very recognizable, grease paint covered visage.  Scarred lips smirking down at her in a condescending manner, he patted her cheek with his gloved hands; the leather making the impact sting just a bit more than it normally would have.  “Good girl!  Now, first things first, yer name,” cooed the mass murderer, backing off so she could sit up.

    Using this to put some distance between her and the Prince of Chaos, the top prosecutor for Gotham took a few deep breaths to gather her courage.  “Alicia Capshaw,” she announced, finding no point in hiding something this man could easily learn from any of the men he’d forged partnerships with.  After all, most of the underground knew who she was just because of her profession.  As such, she found herself with some awfully powerful enemies.

    “Alrighty, nice ta meet ya Caps.  Now, what say we get to know eachother a little,” he purred, he words making her jaw drop open in astonishment.

 

_~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Some Time Later~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~_

 

    Staring up at the hulking building that was in a very seedy part of town, she honestly wondered just why she’d come back; let alone on time.  Right now, she and this dangerously charismatic psychopath had no connection whatsoever.  If she continued to see him, however, it would only be a matter of time before that changed.  She was already intrigued by him, especially after he’d simply let her leave his hideout after a quick chat.  A chat that had been about the most mundane things like her birthday, what cases she had taken and what her favorite color was.

    He could have easily killed her, honestly should have after finding out what her profession was.  Instead, he’d asked her to come back in a few days at a very specific time.  Wanting to tell herself she was here because he would likely send men after her and nothing more, she found she knew better deep down.  Sighing, Alicia moved into an alleyway; reaching up to knock on the ungiving metal of the slightly rusted door hidden there.

    With a loud squeal that made her eardrums shudder, a small, square window near the top slid open; a pair of beady eyes roving over her form while glaring.  “Th’Hell’re _you_ doin’ here,” growled a dangerous voice, making her wish she could just back down the narrow corridor and run away.

    “Uh, y-you’re boss told me to come here.  Name’s Alicia Capshaw?” she announced, hoping against hope the anarchist male had told his men she was coming.  Thankfully, the eyes leering at her widened before the slot slammed shut and the entry itself creaked open.

    “Get in here, quick,” rasped the voice from before, sounding scared instead of forceful.

    Still, she hesitated; sticking her head in to assess the situation first.  When she saw most of the men lounging and no sign of Joker, she didn’t exactly feel a spike of confidence.  Yet, she knew these men would have to be supremely stupid to mess with her.  Besides, she _had_ been ‘invited’ inside.  So, ignoring the small voice inside her that yelled at her to run while she could, Alicia walked through the open door; flinching when it was shut and locked behind her.  “Boss’s upstairs in his office.  Stay here while I get him and don’t touch anything,” spat the hulking door guard that had let her in, towering over her easily.

    The man was huge and built like a monster, his arms alone seeming to be thick as tree trunks.  If he wanted to, he could easily snap her in half; let alone a real threat.  Needless to say, she did what he asked; staying by the door while he moved off toward a set of stairs on the opposite side of the building.  Of course, her presence hadn’t gone unnoticed; several of the men lounging in the living area turning their heads to look at her.  Some of them even licked their lips but didn’t move, to her extreme relief.  The sooner the clown came downstairs, the better; a stance she’d never thought she’d have.

    Thankfully, it was only few minutes; a call of the nickname he’d given her drawing her attention to the metal stairs.  “I see you made it!  Hope Rocko here didn’t bust yer chops too hard,” Joker crowed, looking all too pleased with himself as he gestured to the silent thug following behind him.

    “N-not after I told him why I was here.  Speaking of, why _did_ you want to meet with me?” she sighed, feeling a bit safer despite the fact he was probably more insane than all these people put together.

    “Oh that, let’s just say I have a, uh, proposition fer ya,” he announced, his tongue flicking out to lick his long healed scars.

    “Why do I have a feeling that I’m going to regret all my life choices very soon?” Alicia mumbled to herself as he hopped the railing and sprinted toward her, verdant eyes shining with excitement.

    “I can assure ya, yer not gonna regret any of this.  All I wanted to do was strike up a deal, a simple agreement that’ll benefit all of us,” assured the criminal, taking her left arm in a loose grip and leading her to the dining area that was right next to the living area.

    All too soon, she found herself having a conversation she knew would happen sooner or later.  She was just surprised it hadn’t happened before.  A crime boss high up on the underground food chain was bound to want to try to get prosecutors on their side.  The ones that didn’t want to play ball were dead.  As the current lead of the prosecution office, she was a pretty large prize.  Just the fact it had taken three years was a bit of a miracle really.  Still, she found herself in a very awkward position.  Did she refuse on principal or did she agree to what Joker was proposing and possibly save her own life?  In the end, the choice was a no brainer.  In the end, she chose to forge a partnership with the super villain; all the while lamenting all the trouble she now found herself in.

 

_~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~A Few Months Later~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~_

 

    With how unpredictable and chaotic the man was, Alicia was honestly amused by the fact he had her on a fairly strict schedule.  She was to visit at least once a week just so they could build a bond of trust as well as get to know eachother.  Suggestions she knew were terrible ideas for her sanity.  Unfortunately, it seemed like keeping any sort of professional distance was already a lost cause.  The man was fascinating as well as dangerously charismatic.  To be frank, she honestly looked forward to these odd little meetings.

    Each time she went, she found out something new about him and found herself wanting more.  Not to mention the fact that he went out of his way to treat her well.  He made sure none of his men bothered her and had even started calling her for advice on some legal matters.  Usually having to do with contracts he was forming with the other crime bosses and super villains.  In a lot of ways, she was becoming his personal lawyer.  As such, she found herself privy to numerous shady situations.

    Tonight was no different, her odd ‘client’ calling her out to some seedy club to meet with another prospective associate.  With how many he’d met with so far, it seemed like he was building an army for something; the idea making her skin crawl.  Still it was none of her business.  Her job was to make sure these men weren’t trying to screw Joker over and that was as far as it went.  She tried not to think about what happened to those stupid few who thought they could pull a fast one.  Though, she sometimes wondered why she was even needed.

    Usually, the extremely clever murderer was able to tell when someone was doing their best to snow him over.  Still, at least that made the rare time she was able to help an impressive feat.  It also showed she could be of some use as well as just how smart she was.  Every time it happened, she could feel Joker’s regard for her grow.  Something she wasn’t entirely sure was a good thing.  Sighing, she simply grabbed a small pistol; putting it in a holster hidden under her suit jacket as she walked to the door of her tiny apartment.  While dealing with the underbelly of society one couldn’t be too careful.  Besides, an ounce of prevention is usually worth its weight in gold.

    Exiting the building, she saw the usual car waiting for her; still a bit baffled how something that gaudy could go entirely unnoticed.  It was a bright, garish purple with neon green stripes on the sides.  There was also green on the inside of the wheel wells, surrounding the headlights and coating the inside of the car.  The vehicle itself was sleek, seeming to be an Acura NSX.  A car that didn’t even really exist on the market yet.  It was a trophy, pure and simple.  Still, she had to wonder just what connections Joker had to enable him to get this thing.  There was also the fact that it really should draw all kinds of unwanted attention but seemed to be summarily ignored.

    Even now, none of the pedestrians seemed to even register its existence; just acting like it was any other car that could be owned by any one of them.  To be honest, it kinda made her worry about the state of humanity just slightly.  If these people were so wound up in their own lives that they couldn’t pay attention to the world around them, maybe they really did deserve all the horrors her insane ‘boss’ had planned for them.  Shaking her head to clear it of the frankly disturbing thoughts, she opened the rear door closest to the sidewalk and slid into the interior.

    Soft, pliant leather creaked under her as she closed the door; trying not to flinch when the locks came down as soon as they moved.  While it was just a function of any new car for child safety reasons, it still freaked her out to some extent.  Some part of her was just a bit afraid that the locks wouldn’t disengage if she felt a need to escape.  Forcing herself to focus on the driver, she felt some of her tension leave when she saw it was ‘Bob’.  This man was by far her favorite of the men her client sent to pick her up.  He was pleasant and seemed to want to set her at ease by sharing small stories about the jobs the ‘Clown Prince’ had pulled off.

    Today was no exception, the second in command giving her a smile through the rear-view.  “Hey Caps!  We’re going to ‘Club Rochello’ tonight.  Boss is meetin’ with some of the big wigs from the ‘Skull Gang’.  Want’s to set up a partnership if ya will.  Them boys are good at gettin’ into places unnoticed,” he greeted, his eyes crinkling in the corners with genuine good humor.

    “Figured that would be the case.  He’s been talking about it for a few days now.  Kinda surprised he sent _you_ though.  Usually, when he’s doing something like this, he sends Rocko or Daryl,” she responded, smiling back as she relaxed into the seat behind her and fastened her seatbelt.

    “Yeah but Boss says ya don’t seem ta be comfortable around them.  Don’t blame ya either.  Rocko can be a bit gruff and Daryl just doesn’t like anyone.  Besides, I didn’t like leavin’ ya with them anyway.  Neither of them are exactly saints and I wouldn’t put it past them to do something to ya.  Even with what Boss would do to ‘em,” came a response that made her anxious all over again.

    Shuddering at how close she could have come to disaster, she simply sighed as she pinched the bridge of her nose.  “Well, at least he’s changing it now instead of after something happens,” she grumbled, wishing she could just drop everything and go back to her normal life.  Unfortunately, the road she was now on had no exit but the death of either her or her dangerous client.  Oddly enough, she honestly felt a bit disturbed to even think about the enigmatic man dying.  Granted, it was an inevitability given his activities but it still made her chest feel tight as her heart squeezed.

    “Course!  You’ve more’n proven your worth now.  You’re not one to have to wool pulled over their eyes.  Not like Harley.  God, I still have no clue what Boss saw in that woman,” came a response that startled her out of her odd thoughts.

    Blinking, Alicia found herself at a loss for how to reply.  She didn’t know all that much about Harleen.  Just that she used to be Joker’s psychologist during one of his many interments in Arkham.  What had happened from there was anyone’s guess but the poor woman had wound up being his loyal dog, seeming almost brainwashed with the way she acted around him.  Now, the former doctor was in Blackwater.  A name that even made the prosecutor shudder.  That particular prison was infamous for cruel practices as well as the fact that not many have been known to escape.  “What did she do that was so horrible?” she whispered, not really realized she’d said that out loud until Bob responded.

    “She was whatever Boss wanted her to be.  Never did anything on her own or tried to have any input.  She was like a pretty doll for him to play with.  Made me a bit sick to see it,” growled a raspy voice from the front, startling her badly and causing her cheeks to flush with mortification.

    “Okaaaay, didn’t realize I’d said that out loud.  Still, he kinda made her that way; didn’t he?” she pointed out, meeting his blue eyes in the rearview.

    “Only cause she wanted him to.  When she was first brought in, she was pretty damn smart.  She only became the bimbo cause she thought that was what Boss wanted.  In a lot of ways, I guess it was,” he sighed, his brow furrowing as he looked slightly worried.

    “You don’t have to worry  about that with me.  I don’t intend to change my personality for any man,” Alicia assured, not feeling half as confident as she sounded.  If he wanted to, Joker could very easily make her into a new Harley.  He already seemed to be growing an odd form of attachment to her, keeping her by his side the entire time during any meetings recently.  Just a couple weeks ago, he wouldn’t have cared where she was or what was happening to her.

    Bob only gave her a skeptical look, the rest of the trip passing in an amiable silence.  Thankfully, it wasn’t much longer before they were pulling into a dark alley in the back of a very nasty looking club.  A bright neon sign declared the name on the front, bouncers framing both the front and back door.  Instead of music and young people, crowds of suits filed in; clouds of smoke flowing outside every time the door swung open.  In fact, the entire area seemed to be devoid of any other people.  Almost as if there was an invisible signal telling them something was going down.  Something that would get the average outsider killed if they stumbled across it.

    Unbuckling her seatbelt, Alicia waited until Bob spoke to the bouncers and opened her door before getting out.  In an atmosphere like this it was best to let someone trusted make introductions first.  Still, this didn’t help her feel less intimidated; avoiding the gazes of the burly men as she followed the second in command inside.  Eyes moving through the smoke-filled, crowded bar, Alicia felt a shocking amount of relief when she saw familiar white, green and red in the press of men.  Clutching Bob’s sleeve so she wouldn’t get separated from him, the young woman kept her gaze focused on the villain’s infamous face.

    As they got closer, the prosecutor was well aware of the gazes travelling over her suit clad body; not all of them having sexual intent.  Many of these men had seen her on the other side of the courtroom, earning her a permanent spot on their shit lists.  It was entirely possible that one of these men would just outright attempt to kill her; giving no shits for the aftermath.  Keeping her eyes forward, the petrified woman forced a neutral mask on her face as they wove through the thick crowd.  Joker, as if sensing her approach, immediately moved his focus to where she was; a smile appearing on his scarred face.  “Ah, Caps!  Glad ya made it alright!  Come on over and meet the new boys,” he exclaimed, his voice loud enough to be heard over the crowd.

    Waving with her own grin, the young lawyer stayed behind Bob as they closed in on the massive table.  She only moved away from the henchman when they reached her client’s side, eeping quietly when the tux clad jester wrapped a strong arm around her waist to pull her into the seat beside him.  The group of eight teens at the table merely raised their brows at the action, the rest of their expressions hidden by a decorated bandanna.  Much like their gang name would suggest, the disguises resembled the lower half of a skull from the nose down.  “Now, I know they seem a bit young but I like the cut of their jib.  Just take a look at their list of demands for me and give me your opinion,” husked a mid-tone in her ear, the whiff of his cologne mixed with the scent of gunpowder doing terrible things to her insides.

    Taking the piece of paper, she saw things were beyond fair for her client but had left benefits for these kids rather lacking.  All they seemed to want was protection as well as a safe place to hide out when the heat got too high.  They didn’t even seem to want profit rights to whatever they looted, making her worry just a bit for how they would support themselves without Joker.  Still, it wasn’t really her job to point any of that out.  So, as much as it sickened her on the inside, Alicia gave the okay to the contract; watching with a sinking feeling as her client shook the hands of the young gang.

    Once the deal was closed, the group left; leaving her alone with the infamous madman.  Licking her lips as she suddenly found her mouth very dry, Alicia kept her baby blue eyes fixed on the table in front of her as she waited for the usual dismissal so she could make her way home.  Instead, the arm around her waist tightened as the male next to her leaned closer; brushing his painted lips against the lobe of her ear.  “You didn’t say anything about how bullshit the contract was for the other party.  Is your only goal to make your client happy?” growled a quiet question in her ear, his fingers twitching on her waist as his hot breath exhaled on her neck.

    Squeaking, she whirled to face him; some of her brown hair falling into her face and temporarily blocking her vision. Moving it out of her face with a swift movement, she found her breath gusting out of her as she took in the intense gaze boring into her.  “W-well, I’m just here to do a job and that’s to protect your interests.  As much as I hate it, that doesn’t include those boys,” she whispered, grimacing at the fresh guilt that wound its way around her heart and squeezed.

    Raising a brow at her, Joker shook his head as his verdant eyes rolled.  “Yet ya feel guilty about it.  I’d have thought you lawyers would have a, uh, thicker skin,” sighed a soft complaint, ruby lips pursing as he poked her forehead a few times with a leather covered finger.  Brushing him off, Alicia tried to back away from him; only to have his arm tighten around her waist.  Hungry eyes roved over her form, a strange glint in his green eyes as he went unnaturally still.

    “You know, I think I want to see a bit more of ya around.  What say we change up the, uh, schedule just a tiny bit,” husked his mid-tone, the strange rasp his voice held causing her to shudder.

 

_~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~A Few Weeks Later~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~_

 

    As it turned out, a change in schedule meant daily visits.  A routine she found a bit strange at first but quickly fell into.  After all, despite his many eccentricities, Joker wasn’t exactly unpleasant company.  When he wasn’t trying to literally blow everything up, he was actually very interesting to talk to.  As it turned out, he was well read as well as quick minded; making him possibly one of the smartest crime bosses she’d ever dealt with.  Usually, while they were clever in the matters of the street, they had little to no actual book smarts.

    Holding a conversation with the man felt disturbingly normal and she all too often forgot what she was dealing with.  The times his true nature shined through reminded her sharply, always making her a bit reluctant to see him the next day.  Still, despite all the danger involved, she felt a bit of excitement at the the end of her work day just knowing she was going to see him.  It probably wouldn’t be long before she was an entirely lost cause.  Unfortunately, her current peace was about to be shattered by the harshness of reality.

    “Miss Killian, I have some great news!  A high profile case for you just crossed my desk!” announced the cheerful voice of her boss from her office door, freezing her hands mid-type.  Heart stuttering as she turned to face the older woman, Alicia felt her heart drop into the pit of her stomach when she saw the head of the department was dead serious.  Not only that, but the matronly woman looked like a puffed up peacock showing off its plumage.

    “That’s great!  Who is it this time?  Hatter again?” she asked, forcing an excited smile onto her own face.  On the inside, she was terrified; especially when she saw the size of the file handed over to her.  It almost matched Joker’s for thickness, not giving her a good feeling for how long this trial would last.

    Checking the name at the top, she only felt her dread deepen.  ‘Jonathan Crane’.  A famous psychiatrist and chemist who was extremely well liked by the community.  He’d also gone completely mad, adopting another persona known only as ‘Scarecrow’.  Before he’d been caught, he had caused all manner of chaos; as evidenced by the massive amount of paperwork that had been accumulated about his various activities.  The crime he’d been accused of this time was unleashing his fear gas in several office buildings, causing many people to simply go crazy and start killing eachother in extremely gruesome manners.  What was worse, he’d recorded it; seeming to be using the incident as some sort of experiment.

    This wouldn’t be an easy case or a short one, even with the amount of evidence against him.  Dr. Crane was a very wealthy man and capable of affording the best lawyer in Gotham.  While the man wouldn’t be able to get the psychopath off scot-free, he would likely try to stretch out the trial as long as he could.  She was looking at possible weeks of red tape, paperwork and, most importantly, overtime.  She would have no real way to see Joker after work until this was all over, not if she wanted to get any manner of sleep.  Unfortunately, she also had no way of contacting him to tell him about this little snag either; meaning she would be in a huge amount of hot water once everything was said and over with.

 

_~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Two Weeks Later~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~_

 

    It had been a very long, extremely grueling case.  She’d not only had an uphill battle convincing the judge of Crane’s guilt, but the jury was a hard sell as well.  It was all because of how damn popular the man was.  No one wanted to see such a meek person as capable of even a third of the atrocities he’d committed.  None of this was helped by the fact he was extremely soft spoken, seeming almost afraid to even meet her eyes as she hurled accusations.  All in all, she’d had to work not to seem like the bad guy.

    Finally, after two long weeks, she finally gotten the court to accept the fact that Dr. Crane and the horror known as ‘Scarecrow’ were one in the same.  It had been a hard sell and the jury had to take a long time to deliberate but, after a lot of nail biting and anxiety, the group of jurors decided Crane was criminally insane; thus sentencing him to a lifetime imprisonment within the Arkham Asylum.  While it wasn’t the verdict of guilty that she had wanted, it was certainly better than the possible innocent verdict that had been hovering in the air.

    Still, she didn’t exactly feel much better.  While she’d put away a very dangerous man, she had to deal with the consequences of not reporting to Joker for fourteen days.  A prospect that would be downright terrifying to most people.  For her, it was world ending.  Honestly, she was very close to just driving away from the practice she worked for and straight out of Gotham; not stopping until she’d reached the other end of the country.

    Sighing as she walked out of the courtroom, Alicia tipped her face toward the sunlight; smiling softly at the warmth on her skin.  For all she knew, this could be the last time she felt much of anything.  Especially with the ‘Clown Prince’ likely being extremely pissed with her.  Shaking her head woefully, she walked down the stairs of the courthouse; startling slightly when she saw a shadowed figure sitting in the driver’s seat.

    Heart ramming against her ribs, she leaned down to look into the passenger window; not feeling all that comforted when she saw Bob.  While having a sympathetic expression, the thug opened the door for her; looking up at her over his dark sunglasses.  “Boss knows what was going on thanks to the news but...  He really needs to see you.  I already picked up some things for a day trip.  Even some things just in case he wants ya for the night,” he urged, his eyes fixing on hers as she froze like a deer in the headlights.  All she could really do was agree before entering the vehicle, shutting the door in her wake.

    The ride was an agonizing one, her heart racing as a cold sweat broke out over her body.  None of this was helped by Bob’s silence, the practical General usually being at least a little talkative.  Instead, he seemed almost worried; pursing his lips as his stubble coated cheek twitched.  “Mr. J wasn’t too happy ‘bout your absence,” he husked, using a nickname that usually meant her client was especially dangerous.

    “There wasn’t much I could really do about it.  Am I supposed to say no to what could be a huge case for someone in my career?  I’m not going to do that, not even for him.  It wasn’t like I had much free time or that I was avoiding him,” she pointed out, not feeling very confident that she was going to survive this perceived transgression.

    “He knows all of that.  Had ya tailed as soon as the news showed up on the TV.  Both to check up on ya and protect ya from any friends Crane might have.  Problem is, he doesn’t really care.  Due to Harleen being as submissive as she was, he’s more used to people doing as he says; no matter what,” he pointed out, giving her a sideways glance as his shoulders tensed.

    Sighing, the young lawyer could only shake her head.  Despite being frightened, she knew all of this had been an inevitability from the start.  Dealing with Joker was a lot like dealing with a wild card.  While she’d allowed herself to feel comfortable around him, he was still as unpredictable as ever.  It would be no real shock to her if he simply decided to kill her.  If that was the case, she would accept her fate without a fight.  While she could easily defend herself with the gun she always carried with her now, just the thought of it sickened her.

    Over her time with the crazy villain, she’d grown quite an amount of affection for him.  Enough that it honestly hurt her a bit that he was likely considering ending her life tonight for doing her job.  Putting on her best brave face as the man beside her pulled up to a deserted house in the middle of nowhere, Alicia sent a quick prayer to any God that might be watching.  Then she was exiting the vehicle as soon as it was in park, taking in the looming, dilapidated mansion before her.

    At one time, the rotting building had probably been quite beautiful.  Now, it was leaning to one side; most of its windows missing and its wood graying with age.  Most of its paint was now gone, its porch seeming to be standing because of a wish and a prayer.  If a stiff wind hit, it would likely be gone.  Such a forgotten place was perfect for someone like Joker and she wondered why she’d never been here before.  “This is his house.  He don’t normally bring people here unless he trusts them or wants to get rid of them,” Bob answered for her, moving up the stairs first to open the scrap of a door for her.

    Taking a deep breath to gather her courage, the attorney entered the building, jumping when the door shut behind her and she was left alone in near darkness.  Squinting her eyes in the gloom, she made out a dim light coming from what had once been a living room.  Hopping from one stable floorboard to the next, she made her way to the only light; peeking her head around the doorframe.  There, on the couch with his back turned to her, was her host; the light from the fireplace dancing off his lime green locks.  “Caps, you’re a bit late,” growled a strained sounding voice, a gloved hand sharply motioning for her to move forward.

    Heart jumping slightly, Alicia made a tiny noise before crossing the threshold and making her way to the small sofa.  “I’m sorry Joker.  I got handed a pretty plumb client and I couldn’t really say no.  Not with a payout _that_ large,” came a soft response as she stopped a few feet away from him.  Silence only followed, the hand that had motioned for her clenching on the top of the back.

    “What did you call me Alicia?” came a dangerous snarl, making the hairs on her arms stand to attention.

    “What I always call you?” she responded a bit unsurely, confused about what he could mean.

    “What _should_ you be calling me?” continued the angry rasp, growing more enraged the longer she didn’t understand what he was getting at.

    For a few, horrible moments, she really had no clue what he meant.  Frantically wracking her brain, she came up with nothing until she remembered what Bob had said before she’d come in here.  A certain nickname he had used.  “M-mr. J?” she tried, getting a curt nod in return.  She’d never had to call him that before so it would take some time to get used to, time she didn’t have.

    “Good, now come around the couch so I can see you,” gritted his tense mid-tone, making cold terror wash over her.

    Shuddering slightly and fighting against a rather suicidal urge to start crying, Alicia walked around the left side of the couch; keeping her gaze submissively tilted toward the carpet.  Due to this, she could only see his shoes and the bottom of his purple pants.  He was wearing black dress shoes with white spats on them.  A fashion choice she’d thought had long since died out.  “Look at me!” came a sharp bark, making her jump in place slightly.  Raising her head reluctantly, she saw a pair of furious eyes burning into her.  His painted lips were pursed tightly, the permanent smile carved into his cheeks making the expression even more intimidating.

    Flaring his nostrils, he leaned forward; briefly closing his black covered eyes as he inhaled slowly.  “While I can’t really expect you to turn down a job like that, I’m not happy you didn’t at least try to contact me somehow.  We need to establish better lines of communication.  Give me your phone,” came a gruff demand as the expressive orbs opened to glare at her, his right hand reaching forward with the palm facing upwards.  Needless to say, she passed the device over with no complaint; watching as he fumbled with it for a few moments.  Then he was handing it back, a deadly serious look on his painted visage.

    “You have my number now.  I want you to call if something like this happens again,” he demanded, getting to his feet slowly and towering over her easily.

    Before she could respond in any manner, his arms were wrapping around her to hold her against his lithe body; the scent of him nearly making her swoon after their long separation.  One of his hands left to lift her chin, his eyes burning into hers as he lowered his face toward hers.  Stopping when there was bare inches between them, his took in a deep breath; his lips parting slightly.  Then they were meeting hers, the softness of them shocking her more than anything.  Still, she was unsure of what to do or how to respond.

    Before she knew it, her arms had wrapped around his neck without her telling them to do so.  Allowing her eyes to flutter closed, she let her buried feelings for this man take over; kissing him back as she listened to the roar of her blood in her ears.  When his tongue flicked across her mouth, however, she felt herself jolt back to reality with a sharp shock.  Jumping back from him, she touched her lips with the fingertips of her right hand as she looked at him with wide eyes.  Chuckling, her client smirked at her as an entirely different light began to shimmer in his verdant orbs.  “You’re very interesting, little sparrow.  Unfortunately, you can’t fly very far from me.  Even if you run, I _will_ find you.  You’re _mine_ now and I don’t lose track of my, uh, toys,” growled his insane assurance as he began to walk toward her.

    Despite her extreme urge to run, she stayed where she was; gasping as he took her into his arms once more.  “Come Caps, let’s sit on the couch and discuss this case that took so much of your time,” he offered, his suggestion making a touch of dread settle in the pit of her stomach.  Still, all she could do was nod; squeaking as he led her back to the rat eaten piece of furniture he’d been sitting on.

    “You know, you make some of the most adorable noises when you’re flustered,” he remarked as they sat down in unison.  Wrapping an arm around her shoulders, he began to ask her several questions; not seeming satisfied until some time past midnight.  By the time she was sent home, she could barely keep her eyes open; falling asleep in the car and forcing Bob to carry her into her apartment.

 

_~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~A Few Days Later~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~_

 

    Staring up at the clock, Joker grimaced when he noticed his ‘lawyer’ was late.  By five minutes to be precise.  Huffing out through his nose, he palmed one of the throwing knives hidden up his sleeves as he fought against the urge to simply stab something.  Actually falling for her had not been part of his plan.  As time passed, it became harder to allow her to leave every night.  Especially after the kiss they shared.  He could still taste her, the need for her burning in his veins and driving him more crazy than he already was.

    Even when he’d been with Harley, he hadn’t felt a need this intense.  There was something about her organic love that made it mean much more to him.  She hadn’t told him her feelings ran that deep yet but he could practically smell it on her.  When this all started, she was meant to be nothing more than an experiment; a toy he could easily throw away.  Now, he was losing his shit just because she was five minutes late.

    He would have been pissed about this if it weren’t for the fact he was desperately worried.  After the two week long absence, she had been good about calling him if she was going to be so much as a few seconds late; a fact he honestly appreciated.  The fact that she was high on the hit list of many a crime boss wasn’t lost on him, filling him with an unwelcome dread that something had happened to her.  Even with most of the underground under his thumb, he couldn’t be sure no one had gone behind his back.  He couldn’t watch everyone, as much as he was loathe to admit it.

    When it passed to ten minutes late, all the henchmen in the living area of the warehouse became aware of what was going on.  In a split second, their boss was storming into their midst, throwing himself into a chair that was normally reserved for him.  Glaring at nothing, he tensed his jaw as he clenched his hands between his purple clad legs.  Everyone around could practically see the storm clouds gathering above his head, all but his most loyal men fleeing while they could.  Even Bob kept his distance, his gaze moving from the closed door to his boss.

    As a half hour passed, Joker shot to his feet; throwing one of his knives straight at the screen of the TV.  The blade flew true, burying itself dead center in the monitor.  This was followed by several sparks, a puff of blue smoke floating up from the back of the device as it made a popping noise and turned itself off.  Growling low in his throat, the dangerous man began to pace like a caged panther; signalling the other men to flee.  Only Bob stayed, looking more concerned the more agitated the psychopath grew.

    As the clock’s large hand slowly rounded the hour mark, the ‘Prince of Crime’ grew oddly silent; sitting on the couch once more.  His eyes were now shooting fire and his lean frame shook, every muscle inside him tense and twitching.  His scars only made him look more scary, his hands gripping eachother hard as he seemed to be trying to regain some control of himself.  “Nothing better have happened to her or fucking heads will roll,” growled a dangerous promise, the voice sounding close to demented as green eyes moved to the door Caps usually utilized to enter the building.

    Alicia cursed traffic as well as mud puddles, glaring at the dead phone in the passenger seat.  Not only had work held her late, but she’d dropped her phone some time early in the morning; making it impossible to get a hold of Joker.  While the thought of using her phone at work crossed her mind, she somehow doubted calling a wanted criminal on a monitored line would be a good idea.  Groaning as she stared up at the red light, she prayed he wouldn’t be too pissed about the lack of a call.  She could still remember the first time all too clearly and honestly dreaded what he would do to her this time.

    Pulling into the alley, the prosecutor got out of her car; locking it behind her as she sprinted to the door.  Instead of knocking, she swung it open; a bit shocked to only see Joker and Bob inside.  “S-sorry I’m late Mr. J, I was held up on work.  I couldn’t call because I kinda fucked my phone,” she explained, coming inside and allowing the door to slam shut behind her.  Honestly, she hoped the use of his nickname would help soften him like last time; her heart drumming against her ribs.

    “Get the fuck over here and I mean now,” snarled a tone she’d never heard before, making her anxiety spike in an instant.

    Gasping, she sprinted over to the chair he sat on; clasping her hands in front of her as she met his gaze.  Feeling her limbs begin to tingle as her breathing sped up, Alicia only felt more terrified when she took in his make-up covered expression.  It was an extremely rare occasion that she ever saw the mass murderer this pissed.  Usually, it ended with the death of one of his men; not giving her much confidence about her chances of making it through this encounter alive.   Cold, green eyes moved over her, his hands slowly pulling away from eachother as his breathing gradually slowed.  For those few moments, there was a deceptive stillness; her nervousness only continuing to grow.

    In one second he was out of his chair, scooping her into his arms before she even realized he’d move at all.  Then he was sprinting, making a bee-line for his private office and leaving Bob behind.  Not that the man would have been much help to her in the first place.  While he liked her, he was utterly loyal to his boss.  He’d lay his life on the line for Joker.  She was completely on her own, not that she was going to fight anyway.  If he was going to kill her or take her prisoner, she would simply accept it it.  Mostly due to the fact she lacked the will to even hurt this madman.

    Closing her eyes, she cuddled into his chest; relishing the feeling of his muscles under the suit he wore.  This action drew a ragged growl from the criminal carrying her, the sound of his shoes hitting the metal stairs loud in her ears.  Tightening his grip on her, he kicked open his door; throwing her onto a ratty bed before closing the entry and locking it.  With his back turned to her, the most wanted man in Gotham took a few rapid, unsteady breaths; broad shoulders shaking as he ran an unsteady hand through his curly, lime green hair.

    Instead of saying anything to disturb him further, she sat up slowly; taking in the small room that had once belonged to a supervisor.  It had been decorated with crude artwork that had obviously been drawn by her exceedingly odd client.  Most of it was of a certain caped vigilante, each more like a caricature than the last.  Several of them seemed to be an odd mixture of bat and human, giving her the decidedly dangerous urge to laugh.  Refocusing on the man before her, Alicia startled when he turned to give her a withering look.  “I thought something happened to you,” he accused as he began to pace once again.

    Gaping, she struggled just to absorb the fact that he’d been worried about her.  Angry, murderous, even betrayed.  These had been the emotions she’d expected from the known psychopath.  Actual concern was so far off her radar it hadn’t even registered as a possibility for his gamut of emotions, period.  Knowing she was staring but unable to help it, Alicia forced her mouth closed with her hand before clearing her throat.  “I-I’m sorry?  I, uh, I can get the phone replaced tomorrow?  I just didn’t think calling you from work would be a wise idea,” she offered hesitantly, internally doing her best to wrangle her apprehension.

    “You’re probably right but, problem is I don’t feel much like being fair today,” came her only warning before he was upon her with startling speed.

    Leaning over her in a way that forced her to lean back, Joker placed his arms on either side of her before letting out an animalistic noise.  With a quiet shuffling noise, he had a throwing knife in his hand; pressing the sharp point against the soft skin of her neck.  Not even daring to breathe, Alicia closed her eyes and waited; flinching when she felt a slight sting.  This was followed by the sensation of something wet and warm dribbling down the front of her throat.  It was only when she felt a hot mouth clamp over the wound that her eyes popped open.

    Hands instinctually tangling in his surprisingly clean feeling hair, she let out a quiet cry of shock when she felt his tongue lave over the cut he’d created.  Growling low in his chest, the murderer wrapped a strong arm around her back to lift her slightly; keeping his mouth firmly in place as he swallowed the blood from the fairly shallow abrasion.  To he astonishment, she began to feel sparks of arousal from the action; her thighs rubbing together on their own.  “M-mr. J,” she whispered, tugging at his hair slightly.  Though, if it was an effort to push him away or pull him closer; she really couldn’t say.

    Pulling off her neck, Joker licked his lips as he slowly got to his feet; pulling off his thick, tux jacket and dropping it onto the dirty floor.  Keeping his eyes carefully on hers, he began to unfasten his tie; his gloved hands shaking just slightly.  “Your shirt and don’t make me repeat myself,” he spat, a strange gleam in his dilated eyes as he slid his tie free with a slithery noise.  Making a small sound, Alicia did as he asked; fighting off a feeling of mortification as she revealed herself to him

    She was not much to look at, at least in her opinion.  While not morbidly obese, she certainly had a bit of a paunch; her stomach having a slight, squishy dome.  She had cellulite all over her thighs and her breasts sagged ever so slightly.  In all honesty, there wasn’t a man who would want to touch her.  So, she was extremely surprised when he let out a low noise of approval.  “You have some meat on your bones.  Gotta say I, uh, like that.  So tired of bony girls throwing themselves at me,” rasped Joker’s mid-tone, his eyes taking in her generous curves as he began to unbutton his green, silk shirt.

    Alicia merely looked down at her partially exposed torso before looking back at him, a skeptical expression on her pale face.  This seemed to enrage him all over again, his brow darkening as his eyes narrowed.  “Don’t even think it!  Now, remove your bra.  I want to see those wondrous breasts of yours,” came a clear demand as he revealed a few tantalizing inches of his own chest.  Still, his command wasn’t an easy one to follow.  She was especially ashamed of this part of her body, having been teased about it by more than one ex-boyfriend.  Reaching up with trembling fingers, she undid the clasps; closing her eyes as she allowed the bra to slip off her.

    The cold air caused her nipples to tighten instantly and she had to fight the urge to hide herself from his eyes, avoiding looking at his expression as she tried to get a handle of her wild emotions.  “Alicia... the reason I am doing this is not to humiliate you.  Look me in the eyes,” came a quiet demand, holding just a hint of gentleness.  Closing her eyes, she shook her head; old wounds opening as hurtful words circled in her head.  Words about her appearance or how her breasts looked.

    All she felt was movement in the air in front of her before callused finger were gripping under her chin.  Hot breath gusted against her face as she felt the heat of a body that was far too close to hers.  “Open your eyes, look at me,” hissed a demand, fury clinging to his voice as he gave her head a slight shake.  Whimpering, she felt the tears begin to come as she scrunched her eyes shut tighter in response.  This elicited a growl from the man over her, his grip tightening until it was painful.

    “Alicia, _now!_ ” he screamed, that alone enough to shock her into doing it out of simple instinct.

    “Good, thatta girl,” came an approving purr as her eyes met his.  To her surprise, all she saw was raw lust written all over his disguised features.  His pupils were fully dilated, his breathing coming in hard pants as he appeared to be attempting to devour her with his eyes alone.

    Releasing her to straighten once more, Alicia realized he was shirtless; having a whole new reason to feel a bit flustered.  He was lightly muscled, his pecs and some of his stomach defined by hard work.  Even the muscles in his arms stood out, tensing as if they could sense her regard.  Just looking at him told her he was very strong and was likely educating in several forms of self defense.  When you worked in the dark side of society, you had to know how to take care of yourself.  If he wanted to, he could easily snap her neck in one motion; the thought of it making her shudder.

Moving her gaze back to his, she found herself more than a little confused about this turn of events.  As far as she had known, he had been beyond livid.  The way he was acting now was a clear contradiction of that, his hands travelling to his tailor fitted pants.  Giving her an expectant look, he stopped in place; seeming to wait for something.  Nodding shyly, the lead prosecutor reached for her own suit pants; unbuttoning them with a slow breath.  Hooking her thumbs into her panties and lifting her hips, she removed the rest of her clothes in a singular movement.

    As her eyes moved up, she felt her mouth go dry as she took in Joker in all his glory.  His rather sizeable, angry looking erection pointed at her; a milky fluid dribbling from the foreskin covered tip as it twitched.  “Like what ya see babe?” cooed the madman, leaning down to give the healing cut on her neck a gentle nip.  His left hand came up to rest against her neck, seeming to feel for the speed of her pulse as he began to bite his way down her sternum.  All she could do was gasp, her head rolling to one side submissively as every muscle in her body relaxed.

    “Ya know why we’re doin’ this yet?” rasped the terror of Gotham, pressing a kiss just above one of her perked nipples.  Shaking her head, a cry escaped her lips when blunt teeth clamped down on the sensitive bud.

    The acidic sting of pain mixed wonderfully with the electricity of desire, drawing a combo of a yell and moan out of her mouth.  “You’re smart, you should be able to figure it out.  Still, I suppose I could give ya a hint,” growled a voice through the haze as a tongue soothed the violated nodule.

    “You see, I kinda gave it away a bit earlier.  I’m sure if you think back, you’ll figure out which of my statements were strange,” he offered before he was moving to the other breast to give it the same treatment.

    Letting out a strained vocalization, Alicia struggled to recall what had happened only minutes before.  The curtain of lust that was descending over her brain made it hard to think, her hands coming to rest on his shoulders as he continued his assault on her nipples.  Slowly, through the fog, she was able to pick out bits and pieces while the fiend began to nip his way down her torso.  As he dipped his tongue into her bellybutton, it came to her.  He had been worried something had happened to her.  Worried enough that it had thrown him into quite an abnormal state.  “Y-you were scared?” she ventured, the prospect seeming a bit incredible to her.

    “Bingo.  Now, can you tell me why that was?  If you get it right, you get a prize,” he wheedled, placing a kiss above the crown of her well-kept pubes.

    Before she could comprehend what he’d said, his mouth was on her; his tongue giving her sensitive flesh long, torturous licks.  Fingers finding his hair, she gave a tug as he gave her clit a brief brush; causing her thighs to shudder slightly.  Panting as she felt desire begin to build within her, Alicia closed her eyes as she forced herself to think.  Knowing the man between her legs, he would torture her until she gave him the information he wanted.  Already he was only doing enough to fan the flames but not enough to aid in quenching them.

    Circling her aching button with his skilled tongue, he shifted to her quivering entrance; dipping briefly inside as she whimpered his name.  He only chuckled cruelly, going back to giving her tantalizing strokes that made her burn all the more.  Focusing under these conditions was nigh impossible so she blurted the first thing that came to mind out of simple desperation.  “B-because y-you didn’t want to lose me.  B-because... y-you... you like me...,” she whispered, coming back to herself the more she uttered.  It couldn’t be right but she still felt a small bit of hope, an emotion that scared her when it was in connection with this man.

    “Got it again Caps.  Hole in fuckin’ one.  Kinda ironic isn’t it?  One who hates sentiment should develop some of his own?” rumbled an affirmation that made a frightening amount of happiness cramp around her heart.  When had she fallen so hard for this remorseless killer?  When had just hearing him return those feelings become more important than life itself?  She really couldn’t say.  All she knew was she had to respond in some manner.

    Sitting up to reach for him, the young woman pulled him up into a kiss; tasting herself on his lips.  Joker responded immediately, crawling forward until she was forced to lay flat on her back.  Turning his head slightly, he opened his mouth to lap insistently at her lips; begging for an entrance that she gave willingly.  As soon as she was open, he was invading; exploring each corner of her mouth while one of his hands came up to cradle the back of her head.  His other hand was moving to her needy womanhood, two fingers playing with her outer lips as he broke the liplock to meet her eyes with his.  Taking in a deep breath through his nose, he plunged them into her; taking her virginity in one movement.

    Letting out a cry of pain, she wrapped her arms around his upper back; nuzzling into his powerful neck for comfort while unconscious tears streamed from her eyes.  “Shhh, I know it hurts kitten.  Daddy Joker will make it all better,” purred in her ear as callused digits began to move over her clit.  After a few strokes, she was squirming; huffs of need leaving her as he chuckled.  Then he was leaving her, the absence of his heat against her startling her badly.  Before she could ask what was wrong, he was positioning himself at her entrance; eyes meeting hers as he stilled.  Realizing he was waiting for permission, she gave a small nod.

    Without further ceremony, he was taking her; his eyes slipping shut as his entire body shuddered violently.  “Fuck, so fucking tight.  I’m, uh, not gonna last too long.  Been a while since I had a virgin,” he groaned, his hips already moving as he reached between them to play with her pearl.  Moaning loudly, Alicia simply wrapped both arms and legs around his lean body; resting her head on his tensing shoulder as he grabbed her hips and simply drove into her.  Over and over, his hips slapped into hers, desperate snarls leaving him as her own sounds reached a higher pitch.  Then they were both tipping over the edge their names mixing into a useless jumble as they cried out in unison.

    Panting as he rolled to lay beside her, Joker looked over her with lazy eyes as a relaxed smile bloomed on his face.  Despite the make-up being horribly smeared he looked as intimidating as ever, making her shudder slightly as she curled into his side.  “You’re gonna spend the night from now on and I want ya to quit your job as soon as you’re able.  You won’t need it anymore.  You’ll work for me,” declared the crime boss, a hand landing on one of her shoulders as she looked up at him in disbelief.

    “You expect me to do all that without any kind of argument on my part?!  I happen to love that job!  As for leaving my apartment, you can forget it buster,” she hissed, poking his chest as she let out a long yawn.  She’d had a long day and their earlier activity hadn’t done shit to help her exhaustion.  Joker only chuckled, sounding as if he knew he’d already won.

    “I suppose we’ll have to see.  Still, I can already tell you’re gonna be a riot.  Much more interesting than any puppet I could have made you into,” husked his mid-tone as her eyes fluttered closed and she drifted off.  Little did she know but he’d already arranged for her stuff to be collected, Bob more than likely already on his way to her apartment now.  Laughing quietly to himself, Joker closed his own eyes; looking forward to the challenge this woman would pose to him.


End file.
